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The Decibel

The Decibel

By: The Globe and Mail
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Context is everything. Join us Monday to Friday for a Canadian daily news podcast from The Globe and Mail. Explore a story shaping our world, in conversation with reporters, experts, and the people at the centre of the news.2025 The Globe and Mail Daily Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The reasons Canadians aren’t taking their paid vacation
    Jul 13 2026

    A lot of Canadians struggle to take their allotted, paid vacation days, according to new research, meaning those days go unused. It’s not just internal pressures making people skip a holiday, it’s coming from higher up – from managers’ attitudes towards vacation all the way up to the state of the economy.

    Today, Globe reporter Zosia Bielski explains the reasons why Canadians aren’t taking their paid days off, and the deeper consequences – for our productivity and health – when we don’t.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com


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    25 mins
  • Pitch and Power: Italian agony, psychology of the penalty kick
    Jul 12 2026

    In the heat of USA ’94, Roberto Baggio carried the nation of Italy on his shoulders— and then saw it all slip away from twelve yards. This episode explores one of soccer’s most spellbinding talents and the penalty kick that turned his decorated legacy into a lingering question mark. But this isn’t only about one miss.

    Host Eoin O’Callaghan and guests John Foot, Ben Lyttleton and Kevin Kilbane explore the strange hold penalty kicks have, and why that ritual reveals so much about pressure, identity, and the human condition.


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    46 mins
  • To ban or not to ban: Canadian teens weigh in on social media
    Jul 10 2026

    Decisions in two landmark trials in the U.S. found social media companies responsible for harms to youth on their platforms, earlier this year. They follow years of growing concern about the dangers that social media poses to young people. And now, those concerns are starting to show up in policy decisions. Back in December, Australia banned those under 16 years old from creating accounts on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Other countries are considering similar legislation — including Canada. But what do teenagers themselves think of these potential social media bans?

    Samantha Edwards is The Globe’s online culture reporter. She assembled a group of Canadian teenagers to talk about how they actually use social media, what adults get wrong, and what they think about losing access to the platforms they use to talk to their friends.

    This episode was originally aired on March 27, 2026
    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com


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    28 mins
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